The Cooper Union is a private college in Manhattan that offers an internship for students interested in science. This summer the teens studied neuroscience by experimenting with Central American cockroaches. Sounds like fun.

The students replaced an antenna with a wire that would send signals to the cockroach's brain. To understand brain function, the students hooked up the cockroaches to an iPod and played Lady GaGa. In response to the electric signals, the cockroach began to twitch and move in a rudimentary bug dance. Though some may find this barbaric, it's this type of research that could eventually lead to a new form of prosthetics that tap into the brain. [NYT, NY1; Shutterstock/mrpuiii]